CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

I Put a Bathing Suit On

I'm gonna ask you all to indulge me in some vanity, guys. 

To celebrate America's independence this year, I decided I would wear a bathing suit. In public. Well, among friends in public. I've dropped some weight and I asked myself, what was the point of working this hard if I didn't get to do things I wouldn't allow myself to do before? 

And what's more, I'm gonna post a picture! 

The headband's amazing, right? I got it for like $3 at H&M in June just to break out for this party. 

Irrelevant fun fact: The temporary flash tat peeking out on my left arm took ten days to come off. Let that be a warning to you all. Also, NEVER put those things where you have body hair.... OUCH. But I digress.

I'm gonna be honest with you here, I'm pretty pleased with how I look in that photo.

I have to say that out loud because I've lost a substantial amount of weight but I really struggle to literally see it when I look in the mirror. In the mirror, I just see.... ME. I see how I picture myself in my mind. When I do recognize it, it's in a photo or in a side-by-side/before-and-after image kind of thing. 

Anyway, it took several online purchases and a couple trips to the mall, but I eventually found something I didn't feel like a whale in. For what it's worth, what I ended up with came from Lane Bryant's swim separates -- it's a tankini top and a skirted short bottom. The key was having the built-in bra, even though it was a huge pain to put on a take off, especially once I was wet, and also having an oversized cover-up on (a kimono jacket I got from Nordstrom a couple years ago) to hang out in. 

I was empowered by this step. I could not have predicted the effect it would have on me. I was not prepared for how comfortable I'd feel in my own skin. Which is weird for being in a small piece of clothing that I hadn't donned in several years, right? But it was liberating. 

So I guess really, in honor of America's independence, in a way, I was also celebrating my own. 

Nutrition via Chocolate? Mmmmm... Ok.

So you don't know this yet (and how could you), but as I'm wrapping up this year and trying to knock off my remaining "33 in 2012" goals, I am simultaneously planning for "34 in 2013."

Oh yes, I'm doing it again.

And one of my goals will be to take vitamins. I never ever do (maybe I did when I was little?) but I always think about my grandfather, who took them all his life, and up until the year of his passing, lived a supremely healthy and vital life. He credited vitamins for a lot of that and who am I to argue?

So when Adora asked me if I wanted to try their chocolate calcium supplements for my blog, my answer was hell-t0-the-yes. (I didn't really say that. If I'd said that, the PR rep woulda been like "Well, she's nuts -- let's send her the crazy pill chocolate supplements. Incidentally, I would like those if they exist.)

Sorry - a little rant for you there. 

The first thing I did was google "Why do we need calcium?" It's kind of a stupid question -- I only found out what most educated people know. Calcium is a mineral that fortifies your bones and teeth. Of course, what I didn't know? 99% of the calcium in your body is stored in bones and teeth. The remaining 1% is in your blood and soft tissues, and is essential for life and health. Without this 1% of calcium, your muscles wouldn’t contract correctly, your blood wouldn’t clot and your nerves wouldn’t carry messages. (source)

That sounds like some prettty important stuff.

So yes, bring me the chocolates with the calcium. Here's the skinny on Adora:

• High quality USP-grade calcium carbonate, vitamin D3, and magnesium
• Antioxidants from all-natural premium chocolate
• Only 30 calories to support weight loss goals
• A smooth, easy-to-digest consistency
• Gluten free and certified Kosher
• No artificial sweeteners
• totally affordable at $7.99 - $9.99

Two Adora tablets and you've gotten all the calcium your body needs in a day. True story.

AND, if you can believe it, they were quite the tasty treats! And to MY surprise, between the milk chocolate and dark chocolate, I liked the dark chocolate more (in all honesty, I usually hate dark chocolate).

So I endorse, recommend, approve, etc. And especially because they have an active online social presence. As all companies should.

Find Adora on Twitter  and Facebook.

Much thanks to them for sending these along. I thoroughly enjoyed them and feel even more motivated to viva la vitamins in 2013. 

 

ROBOTS. ARE. TAKING. OVER.

Dear lord... This is both scary... and enticing. Um, who wants a robot? 

Autom, the robot designed for dieters is made to keep you engaged and held accountable for food choices

Sure, she's sweet now but when you reach for chocolate, she zaps you with her vicious laser beam...

Sure, you can use your mobile phone to track your health and fitness goals, but communicating with a robot may make for a better emotional bonding experience to keep you engaged and held accountable -- at least that's the theory behind Autom, the robot designed for dieters.

The brainchild of Cory Kidd, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a doctorate in human-robot interaction, Autom was developed back in 2010 and enjoyed a flurry of media attention last year.

According to a report in Mashable this week, the device is poised to hit the US market early next year, at a fraction of its initial cost projections. Available for preorder now, Autom will be shipped in early 2013 for a price of $199 (originally it was thought to be priced at $500) with a monthly subscription of $19.99.

At a height of 15 inches/38 cm, Autom can sit atop your kitchen counter and "chat" with you about your diet and health goals. Its blue eyes open and its head swivels as a computer inside its head allows it to search for a human face in front of it and maintain eye contact.

The bot will ask you about your habits, share motivational tips, and give you personalized suggestions based on your recorded information. To respond to questions, users can select the most relevant answers on its touch screen. The company says it hopes to develop another version with voice recognition.

So that Autom doesn't become boring, it'll receive automatic updates to keep conversation fresh. Plus it comes complete with a calorie database of nearly 75,000 foods, including restaurant meals.

 

P.S. The actors in this commercial are universally creepy. However I totally endorse dressing Autom up with a hat. Everyone should wear fun hats.

 

 

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/meet-autom-robot-designed-dieters-article-1.1189208#ixzz2A9AA2vNh

"It's time for a healthy breakfast" ("Don't worry...")

 

Does anyone remember those commercials? Just me?

"It's time for a healthy breakfast!"

(In a whisper) "Don't worry, this time your kids will eat it..." 

When I was at Blogalicious, one of my favorite sponsors was Kellogg's. I love cereal. I really do. I don't limit it to breakfast, friends. Many a time have I had a big bowl of frosted mini wheats for dinner (shut up - you know you've done it). 

The good news is, cereal is a pretty healthy meal. First of all, even as adults, the benefits of breakfast can be significant. Not only do breakfast eaters get more nutrients, they eat fewer calories and less fat and cholesterol then those who don’t eat breakfast. Plus, adults who regularly enjoy breakfast tend to have healthier body weights and are more physically active than those who pass up the meal.

To be clear, I eat breakfast almost every day. I'm not saying I'm the embodiment of physical health but I guess it's a start? I did not always eat breakfast. In fact, I'm pretty sure AJ, ages 19-30, skipped breakfast 99% of the time (I'm not proud). 

Cereal ranks as one of the best breakfast choices available because it is typically a low-fat (I guess this means no Lucky Charms?), nutrient-dense, cholesterol-free food. It’s filled with grains and helps increase intake of riboflavin, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamins A and D. 

I wonder about my choice of milk (I was raised on low-fat but have been using skim or almond milk recently as my body decided after age 30 to outright HATE milk)...

Be sure to check out Kellogg's "Love Your Cereal" website -- it's pretty fabulous. It reminds me of childhood. And it makes me want Frosted Mini Wheats immediately.

Source: http://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/the-power-of-breakfast/best-start-to-the-day.html

Chatting with Chef Kelly from Paleta

Okay, first of all, is everyone seeing my right-side column in the FOOTER space of my blog right now?! WTF is going on, Typepad!? {le sigh}

Whilst I watch the classic (and original) Steel Magnolias in preparation for watching Lifetime's sure-to-be-a-hot-mess remake this evening, I wanted to share some fabulous Q&A I swapped with the amazing Chef Kelly Boyer, of Paleta.

* * *

COFG: What initially motivated you to start PALETA?

Chef Kelly: I had an amazing career as a Human Resources executive, which gave me the opportunity to live in my favorite cities in the country.  I loved what I did for a very long time, but then I ultimately wanted to do something to help people in a different way so I left a very lucrative career to go to culinary school.  After graduating I started to teach myself more about organics and holistic nutrition and decided that a healthy meal service would be a great way to reach out to the community to help educate them about healthy food preparation, pure ingredients and portion control.  PALETA translates in two ways: it represents the painter’s palette, because we believe food is art, and the palate, or tastebuds, in your mouth, because the food tastes great. I came up with the name while traveling throughout Europe because I felt it reflected my wish to bring a variety of bright colors and distinction to my food. PALETA’S mission is to help change the way you eat through a variety of menu options including: eco-conscious daily meal delivery, PALETA’s Mind & Body CLEANSE and the recently launched, PALETA PRESSED, cold-pressed, organic juice detox line.  I am a twenty-five year survivor of an extremely rare, advanced stage cancer, and so have gained a unique appreciation for the value of nutrition and how it affects not only our physical health but also our mental well-being.  I attribute much of my recovery to focused nutrition and elimination of toxic foods from my diet.  I made it my mission to source only the purest and most nutritious ingredients from local farms, cruelty-free ranches and responsible fisheries.  My designer meal delivery is prepared for clients to change the way they eat, change the way they feel and change the way they live.

COFG: Tell me how you created your juices.  Which one is your favorite and why?

Chef Kelly: My clients have been asking me to create a juice line for some time, but I was skeptical about the nutritional benefits and thought it seemed kind of “faddish”.  Since then I have been studying nutrition further and will be a licensed integrative nutrition health coach in a few months so I now understand far better the value of cleansing and detoxing.  I developed my Mind & Body CLEANSE (high protein brown rice shakes and vegan meals and snacks) to detox the liver and then ultimately we created PRESSED as a natural extension of PALETA’s offerings.  I started by sampling every juice detox across the country…if they shipped it, I tried it.  I also tried every local pressed juice with varying results.  My biggest problem was that I just didn’t enjoy the taste of most of them and couldn’t get through the mornings. As a chef, I can pretty much eat anything…but I was not enjoying the experience.  I wanted to create a line that was both nutritionally beneficial and tasted amazing, so I put together a team of my Le Cordon Bleu trained chefs AND nutritionists and we spent months pressing, mixing and blending organic fruit, vegetables and herbs to come up with our luscious PRESSED.  We intentionally developed specific PRESSED blends into 5 detox packages to meet particular nutrition needs.  They are CORE, GREEN, ROOTS, Sip ‘Til Supper (for the faint of heart or novice juicer…we give you vegan food!) AND a Design Your Own Detox (you can just pick your favorite flavors and enjoy!).  Both the CLEANSE and PRESSED are now delivered locally and shipped nationwide.  In just a few short weeks they are going to be available for purchase at various fitness studios and retailers around LA.

My absolute favorites start with the Kale Kooler because of the little kick of heat from the serrano pepper from our own greenhouse; it warms me UP as it’s going DOWN.  My second favorite is the seasonal Strawberry Rhubarb Cooler; it’s like summertime in a bottle.  The strawberries are sweet and the rhubarb adds a slightly sour and tangy flavor and creates a little natural fizziness to the drink.  My year-round favorite is Apple Orchard.  I grew up with apple trees in my backyard and this PRESSED juice tastes like apples just got plucked from the tree and magically made their way into my bottle.  The hint of ginger is also warming and soothing to the belly.  My newest favorites are being released for autumn and holidays.  There are 3 new versions of our vegan nutmilks that we call MAGIC MILKSHAKES (the base is almond, cashew, coconut, date, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, alkalized h2o).  Our new versions we just created are Ginger Snap, Pumpkin Pecan Pie, and Holiday ‘Nog…an amazing, rich, healthy, vegan version of eggnog.  Just add rum and start celebrating!

COFG: OK, clearly you have a passion for healthy food…what is your guilty pleasure food?

Chef Kelly: Anything with cheese!  I try to eliminate most dairy from my diet, but I can’t resist a wheel of Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam with our PALETA homemade fig jam and rustic bread.  My Director of Ops, Jason Miller, makes homemade bread that would rival any French bakery!  Which leads me to the second guilty pleasure…bread, bread and more bread.  I also don’t consume a lot of gluten in my diet, but I can not (will not!) turn away from a great loaf of fresh-baked artisan bread.  Spread a little butter on it or dip it in cold-pressed olive oil…I’m in!  I’m only human!

COFG: What kinds of physical activities do you recommend in conjunction with healthy eating?  What do you like to do?

Chef Kelly: I have fought my own inherent laziness most of my adult life.  I can come up with dozens of reasons to NOT exercise.  The turning point for me is that I have since come to realize that if I don’t exercise up to 5 times a week, I just don’t feel great.  I don’t even think of working out as necessary for my body’s appearance.  It’s 95% about stress release and keeping illness at bay.  I have a pretty high-stress job and doing an hour of cardio, mixed with some light weights is perfect to help keep me thinking more clearly so I can make better decisions throughout the day.  I have learned to make it a priority for simple peace of mind.  Looking better and more fit is honestly just a HUGE bonus.  I mix it up by playing tennis and I now try to bike to meetings that are within a few miles of my neighborhood.  I also love pilates, hiking, bootcamps, swimming…there is no one thing.  The more variety, the more inclined I am to do it. But, sometimes it’s just super easy for me to hop on the elliptical in my garage and spend an hour watching tv, responding to emails or reading on my iPad.  The ultimate multi-tasking is me sweating for an hour on the machine while simultaneously managing my business online.  It makes the time fly!

COFG: What would you say to someone who is sick of dieting and believes nothing can ever work for them?

Chef Kelly: That person WAS me.  I have always been up a few (or more!) and down a few.  I spent many years not being comfortable with my body and it’s still a challenge.  I still hesitate a bit when standing naked in front of the mirror.  I’m about as thin as I’ve ever been in my life at the moment, but the acceptance is far more mental and emotional, than physical.  What I figured out FINALLY is that every single person and body is so different and not everything works for everyone.  And, over time our bodies change and need different things.  My body now responds really well to a high-protein, heavy vegetable diet.  I am definitely at my leanest when I eat this way regularly.  I’ve also discovered that I don’t feel great when I eat dairy or gluten, but I love them…so I limit them.  Luckily I am not burdened with a sweet tooth, but I loooove cheese and bread, so I let myself enjoy them.  I don’t believe in being militant about it.  I used to be an emotional eater…whether stressed, happy, sad or mad…let’s EAT!  I am better at managing these feelings and give pause when I reach for something to make sure I am actually hungry and not just feeding my feelings.  Life, and food, is meant to be enjoyed.

* * *

Again, I want to thank Chef Kelly and Nicole Myden PR once again for sponsoring me on my Paleta journey and for taking the time to answer these questions. You've never met a nicer, more lovely women! 

For all the information you will ever need about Paleta's amazing programs, you can download their beautiful brochures here. If you are a newcomer to my blog, take a skim through my Paleta journey for more information:

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5

Be sure to follow Paleta and Chef Kelly on Twitter!

The Fifth and Final Day!

I miss my morning food deliveries already! 

Of course, my fifth day of Paleta came on the heels of my triumphant walk sans ankle pain and I was feeling particularly invigorated. I was also battling a tinger of the sads, because I really enjoyed participating in this program and was bummed I couldn't anymore!

My fifth and final Paleta breakfast was hot breakfast cereal (oatmeal, I suppose) with fresh oranges (had to take those off - my allergies struck me) with turkey sausage patties and a fresh melon salad. The hot cereal was delicious. And it was nice to have something warm and thick in the morning. I wanted to sprinkle some brown sugar on it but resisted. 

And lunch was delicious, if not the prettiest one I've had so far! They sent a thai chicken salad with rainbow cabbage and crisp romaine with taosted almond slivers and a spicy peanut sauce. Some carrots were on the side. They looked a little sad but I do love carrots - they were great.

Again, I wish my camera took better photos -- this looks off to me. But it was like art in a bowl. It was delightful. 

My Day 5 snacks were new experiences. My strawberries came with a black bean chocolate cupcake that was a mystery to me. I still don't know if I liked it. But I was surprised that I liked my afternoon snack so much -- zucchini latkes with roasted bell pepper coulis. 

Dinner was nice. Because I have this weird, random childhood memory associated with Mahi Mahi, so it was a nice surprise for dinner. And even though I don't like cucumbers, I liked the mango cucumber salsa that came with it. The coconut jasmine rice was fantastic. I could not finish the spinach. Something about its scent got to me and I was too full to force myself to finish it. 

This will not be the last time I talk about Paleta but I'm still bidding it adieu for the time being so I must thank Chef Kelly for taking an interest in me and being so kind and supporting. I must thank Paleta's killer PR team at NMPR for coordinating this for me. 

My suggestion would be to go into it as honest as possible. They give you the opportunity to tell them what foods you don't like and are allergic to -- do not hold back. Make sure you tell them if you aren't a fan of zucchini or spinach or whatever because odds are, a food you opted not to menion will turn up.

But beyond that, my next bit of advice would be to try everything they send because you might find a new food to love (quinoa!) and you might end up liking something you'd previously hated. 

I hope you'll take a look at this delicious, nutritious program. I recognize it's pricey but I think even if you just popped for it for a week, it's well worth it just to jump start your personal motivation to take care of yourself. The program I did, 1600 calories a day, comes to about $54/day but there are other options and plans. 

Thank you so much, Paleta. I truly enjoyed it. I may see you again at my door yet! 

 

On Day 4, I Learned to Pronounce Quinoa

Last night, a minor triumph. I was sitting on the couch, zoning out, when I noticed that my ankle was not the swollen mess it was a week ago. I could make out its shape and its curve and I felt pretty happy about that. This was an especially nasty flare-up and it was all on me having walked the streets of Seattle on my vacation and spending a long day at Disneyland just days later. Too much on-my-feet time. (You may not know about my ankle "condition" - click here.)

And I was super excited because I had walking plans with friends last night. We conquered a pretty good walk (5000 steps or so according to my friend's pedometer) and afterward, not only was I not in any substantial pain, but when I woke up today, I wasn't walking like a grandma with a walker (this has happened - it's horrible to wake up that way). 

It's the little things.

That, coupled with a fabulous fourth day of Paleta meals, really felt great. I have concluded all of my meals yesterday were just delightful surprises -- all things I did not at all think I would enjoy and then, mostly did. 

Would you put arugula in your breakfast meal? I wouldn't. But they did.

Arugula Breakfast Casserole, Spicy Marinara, Fresh Fruit

I'm not gonna lie -- I don't have a CLUE what kind of berries those are, but they were delicious! 

My morning snack was a weird twist. I know I've had peaches but I'm not even sure I've ever had a nectarine before, let alone a GRILLED one...

Grilled Nextarines w/ Raspberry Coulis and Toasted Pepitas

No, I did not know what Pepitas were. I totally laughed when I saw they were pumpkin seeds. I thought I hated pumpkin seeds. And I still don't know what Coulis is, but it was tasty. :)

Lunch was RIGHT up there with the bison-burgers from Day 3. You'd never believe this if you knew me, though. 

Golden Semolina Quinoa & Spinach Cakes, Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Vinaigrette

Well first of all -- I had to learn the embarassing way that it is pronounced KEEN-WAH, not Qui-no-ah. Whoops. But however you pronounce it, I effing LOVED it. Can I buy this? Can I make it? Can I just eat it all day? How do you prepare it? I have so many questions. I may stock up soon. I'm going to be the Queen of Quinoa.

And lumps of fresh cheese? Please. It's like chocolate to most women for me. 

Ok, to be fair, I knew I would love my afternoon snack. Bleu cheese was involved.

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets, Yogurt Bleu Cheese Dip, Fresh Celery

Dinner had me the most skeptical. Cause I could not remember how I felt about pork chops. I am sure my mother made them for dinner now and then, but I was still iffy. And I was definitely iffy on "pickled figs."

Sage Rubbed Pork Chops, Balsamic Pickled Figs, Scallion Smashed Potatoes, Sauteed Kale

I'm sorry to say, I do not like Kale. I tried and tried - even forking it with the potatoes, but it wasn't doing it for me. Too bad -- it looks lovely on a plate. But I DID love the pork chops, potatoes and figs. (For the record, I finished the Kale anyway -- it's good for me. I read it's loaded with vitamins and all that good stuff.)

And now, TGIF! I have a packed, crazy weekend ahead and I just want to get it overwith.

 

Paleta Day 3: The Hump Day!

When I got my food delivery this morning, and unloaded the contents, I was the MOST excited I've been so far...!

Every meal today was just delicious. And a lot of my favorite foods were involved. They can't do that on purpose - it just turned out that way - but it was a great menu.

I decided to et my breakfast a little later than I usually do so I wouldn't be so hungry for a snack and starving by lunch. I'm not sure it was  good idea -- I actually skipped my morning snack because I wasn't hungry. And not knowing what to do, I ate it in the afternoon during a phone call (and forgot to take a picture). 

Lesson learned! Eat breakfast early. :)  Today's was - as I said - my favorite so far. It was a big meal! 

 

Coconut pancakes with tropical salsa, syrup, scrambled egg whites with parsley and canadian bacon

 

FYI, I have decided I do not like parsley. It's okay -- but I'd rather keep it for Passover, when I get to dip it in saltwater. 

I was busy at work today - aggravated by a number of mini-dramas - and since I'm on the subject, I was also suffering from major aggravtion because my desk chair is broken. It makes me crazy. But I am stubborn and have an unnatural attachment to it (mostly because it's wide enough for me to sit comfortably). 

Wanna feel motivated to drop weight? get yourself a broken desk chair that sinks down after you've been sitting on it for an hour. {{sigh}}

Lunch was - hands down - the best Paleta meal I've had so far. Because, frankly, I love a burger. I'm ghetto like that. And today I got FRIES with it. Well, kind of...

 

Grilled grass fed bison burger (AMAZING!) with gruyere cheese, cumin scented potato wedges, spicy ketchup (I dropped the spicy mustard) AND a Paleta Pressed "Magic" Chocolate Hazelnut Millkshake

 

In my hurry to make lunch, I dropped the package and had to use a big girl plate! It made the portion look smaller but it was still a lot. 

My AM snack turned into my PM snack - fresh apple slices and a "raw super fods truffle." I wanna buy a bag of these truffles. (Are you reading this, Chef Kelly? Hint, hint!)

Of course, my PM snack was, well, my second PM snack. Because I knew I wasn't having dinner until late tonight. So I got to enjoy more green beans -- a citrus green bean salad. It was oddly refreshing.

On Wednesday nights, I am typically with my youth group teens until 8:30 or so, so when I got home, I was too tired to be that hungry. I nuked my food quickly and ate it in bed. Mind you, it was STILL DELICIOUS, but I probably should have sat at the table or something.

Also, this could be why the picture is a little fuzzy. 

 

Fresh corn grits with shrimp, snap peas, okra

 

I had to google "okra."

And I know what you're thinking: "GRITS?!"

I KNOW! They were SO good, though! I mean, REALLY good! I was so surprised. And I wonder if I could make them. I don't even know WHAT grits are. Go have them, though. Imediately. 

Oh dear, it is after midnight. It took me two hours to write this because I kept stopping to watch some VERY gripping episodes of The Golden Girls. 

But before I drift off to la-la-land, wanted to thank Chef Kelly one more time for this special opportunity and encourage all of you to follow her on Twitter. 

 

https://twitter.com/eatpaleta

 

GOOD NIGHT! Happy eating!